One thing I forgot to mention. Gravely wanted to know how I wanted it set up. Bagger, side discharge or mulch. Told them I side discharge with an OCDC, guy said not a problem he'd have it set up how I wanted!!!

The way they are trying to fill your need for a demo is exceptional, and one of the many things that brings a company up in market share. I could not asked to be treated any better by a rep than the one I've dealt with at Gravely, super nice person, the kind that can really pick a company up. I would go as far to say I've never dealt with any rep as nice, and I've talked with many.

One thing I forgot to mention. Gravely wanted to know how I wanted it set up. Bagger, side discharge or mulch. Told them I side discharge with an OCDC, guy said not a problem he'd have it set up how I wanted!!!

This is the kind of stuff that makes me want to go Gravely next time around. Of course I will want to demo one first, but after my short experience with the Pro Stance, I am not expecting any real disappointments. In fact, I have been seriously considering trading in for one this year even though my Deere is still like new.

No, not really. I have to believe that you don't travel up above the line very often with those comments. You may have a longer mowing season, but not more grass to cut. It's not all suburbs and city up here puppy. There's tons and tons of wide open areas and farm lands, huge acreage estates etc., as well. As for roads, we have no mountains to deal with around here to determine where a road can be run, and I can guarantee you we have every bit as many roads and most likely a lot more of them to travel than you guys down south. You keep forgetting I lived in FLA for several years, and drove back and forth between there are here to come back for visits. Now, when I lived in Alaska, I'll grant you you have more roads down there than they do up there. There's only about 5 of them up there LOL.

Another thing to consider is not only the amount of grass but the amount of people willing to pay for our services.

Another thing to consider is not only the amount of grass but the amount of people willing to pay for our services.

This is so true. Every time my wife and I go out for a weekend cruise (a normal one is between 150 and 200 miles, so maybe cruise isn't the right term) we always notice and comment on how more of the folks out farther from town have their own mower of some sort, and that we see far less LCO's, whereas the closer to town we travel, the more we see LCO's and less folks on a mower doing it themselves. That indicates that folks close to, or in town are willing to pay someone rather than do it themselves. This creates a lot of opportunities for LCO's to get a variety of experiences with a much wider assortment of turf types under their belts to know what is working out well for them and what isn't.

No, not really. I have to believe that you don't travel up above the line very often with those comments. You may have a longer mowing season, but not more grass to cut. It's not all suburbs and city up here puppy. There's tons and tons of wide open areas and farm lands, huge acreage estates etc., as well. As for roads, we have no mountains to deal with around here to determine where a road can be run, and I can guarantee you we have every bit as many roads and most likely a lot more of them to travel than you guys down south. You keep forgetting I lived in FLA for several years, and drove back and forth between there are here to come back for visits. Now, when I lived in Alaska, I'll grant you you have more roads down there than they do up there. There's only about 5 of them up there LOL.

I'm guessing you never left I-95 on the back and forth trip, is this assumption correct?

I'm guessing you never left I-95 on the back and forth trip, is this assumption correct?

Nope, and in two different ways. For me it would be I-75, and I'm a country boy at heart, so I take back roads whenever I get the chance so that I can look around and check out the more beautiful countryside vs the maniacs and concrete of the highway. I (or, we) take an atlas for whichever state we will be passing through and navigate our way along while doing our best to miss any large towns or cities.

Nope, and in two different ways. For me it would be I-75, and I'm a country boy at heart, so I take back roads whenever I get the chance so that I can look around and check out the more beautiful countryside vs the maniacs and concrete of the highway. I (or, we) take an atlas for whichever state we will be passing through and navigate our way along while doing our best to miss any large towns or cities.

I never said I did in any post here, but when I was a bit younger, I used to ride along with my BIL or his brother to deliver and pick up large radial airplane engines to and from NC. Now, if you're implying that NC has more roads than MI or other nertherns states, that is simply inaccurate in the extreme. Most of the northern states will have much more population and a need for more roads, plain and simple.

You can see a trend I'm sure. There are two dealers in my town, a hustler dealer and a husky dealer. Both are great guys to work with. One doubles as a tire and auto shop and the other works out of a car dealership.

Here is what I have determined about my area. If you go 30 miles north to Wichita you won't find a hustler on a trailer unless they are fly by night people who don't pay taxes. Wichita and the suburbs are dominated by walkers and as I have recently learned standers are picking up very quickly.

If you travel east 30 miles you will find one guy with a walker and two ferris' (I used to work for him) and one with all John Deere equipment. There is also one who runs two exmark 60" lazers.

Hustler dominates sales in the homeowner department around here along with grasshopper. I see more farmers/ranchers running grasshoppers than anything else.
With that being said its pretty obvious that hustler is frowned upon in the commercial cutting scene. The only reason I own one is because it came with the business I purchased earlier this year. That being said, the sooner I can get rid of that damn thing the better. It has been a great machine from a reliability standpoint, but I've never seen anything cut so poorly in dry grass. Supposedly the hustler shines in southern grasses? I cut mainly Bermuda and native pasture grass with it and it doesn't cut worth a damn.

The local municipalities have hustler fleets and the only reason I can see for this is hustlers are a more affordable mower, or at least they used to be.

They are tough, but I can honestly say that they are in no way tougher than any of the other machines I have operated. Those being in order, a John Deere 72" 797. Two diesel grasshoppers, I forget the numbers. 3 different walkers both side discharge and ghs, a ferris 3100 and 2000, and finally the super z. I have only been in this industry for 6 years, but I have enough experience during that time to make an honest statement. There is nothing more special about the super z than what any other mower can offer.